In July of 2007, I arrived in Hong Kong after a 16 hour flight from Newark. It was my first visit to China since leaving as a baby in 1991.

The scene in Hong Kong International Airport was a frenzy. I was traveling with my brother, who was 13, so as minors we were accompanied off the plane by a chaperone and then handed over to my father's good friend Michael.

We were to stay with his family in the bordering city of Shenzhen.

I have no recollection of my early life in China other than the few pictures my mother has shown me. From those, I always thought China looked rather bleak and gray, or at least my hometown of Xi'an did.

What the pictures failed to show was just the sheer number of people living in those cities.

Population overload

Overcrowding is especially a problem in the large old cities like Beijing. While visiting Tiananmen Square and other prominent sites, I found myself completely overwhelmed by the crowds visiting these sites even on a cloudy day.

Since its population boom in the mid-twentieth century, China has managed to reign in its population growth. However, it is still an issue as more couples are flouting the "one child" policy instituted under the Communist regime. With a large population, competition for jobs and resources has increased.

According to Michael, for most average Chinese, finding housing and making rent in the overcrowded cities is difficult. Rent takes up a large chunk of monthly wages, leaving little money for other expenses. Therefore, inflation remains a worry for most people there.

It was a major issue on CCTV during my stay, and even now, inflation woes still plague the economy, always threatening China's booming markets.

While the government currently uses price controls and other open market actions to influence the economy, in the future it might not be enough to stave off inflation, which may lead to a rise in price of its exports, affecting consumers abroad.

The haves and the have-nots

The disparity between the upper and lower classes is appalling. Outside my hotel in Beijing, there were enclaves of beggars on the nearby streets hoping to find sympathy in the tourists. People in the poorest rural areas also don't have access to many products, and even finding a western toilet is a rare occurrence.

According to the World Bank the income gap disparity in China may have been exacerbated by a number of policy features implemented by the Chinese government. For example, the restriction of rural migration may have kept a number of rural poor in poverty since they were denied many of the economic opportunities that the cities enjoyed.

Environmental worries

My stay in Beijing was shadowed by the smog that seemed to engulf the city at times. After coming back to the hotel each day, I always felt gritty.

The government has since stepped up the effort to improve Beijing's air quality for the upcoming 2008 Olympics, I highly doubt it will be enough to make a significant difference in the air by the time of the Olympics.

Talking politics

The few young people that I met on my trip seemed more interested in chatting online with their friends than protesting.

Rather than worrying about internal politics, they seemed more concerned with how the world would view China at the 2008 Olympics, which is now seen as a source of national pride and China's 'coming out' party.

I am hopeful of China's future, but the government needs to embrace and use the strength of its people.